I apologize if this is already plowed ground, but I feel this thread nibbles at the edges of what is really the heart of the matter and that is long term brand viability.

I've been shooting with Pentax for over 32 years now and the events of the last 3 years or so (from Samsung, to Hoya, to Ricoh) have me at a cross roads in terms of staying with the brand.

While I'm not a pro, I do make money using my gear (mainly pets and kids) and I'm at the point where I'm holding onto some great glass, a couple of backup and film bodies and wondering if in 2 to 5 years that the brand I grew up and learned on will still be with us,or will they be the next Minolta (only with no Sony to pick up the pieces).

I find Pentax to be grossly under represented in the brick and mortar marketplace and with the age of the internet shopper looking for the hottest "deals" by either what they find online or what they find in the big box retailers I'm concerned about future market share and viability.

Not to paint with too broad a brush here, but most shoppers tend to follow the herd mentality. The corner camera shop is a rare animal these days with margins on camera bodies so small (I'm told $20 per Kr body by my local independent) they rely solely on volume and brand recognition. If all they see in Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, et. al is Nikon and Canon then that's what they'll buy.

I'm not here to argue the merits of the brand, 30+ years of loyalty show where my heart and money lie. But, as market erodes and the "industry standard" begins to eat into that 20% of the remaining market share my question is: Where to next?

that will have had more effect on the consumer market, but what really killed pentax was their adherence to a antiquated lens mount (M42) when Nikon and Canon had both switched to full bayonet systems, also Nikon bent over backwards to cater to the professional market a strategy that Canon would later use against Nikon. Pentax was left in the dust so to speak, Olympus,Minolta,Contax and even Leica were was also sidelined in the professional arena. the Pentax 645 and 67 systems were very popular with studio photographers and so were hasselblads, Mamiya and Bronica were not all that common but made a token appearance in the camera bags of working professionals.

You've covered it all pretty well, I would note though that in North America ate least Bronica was very strong in the Wedding Field. they represented great value and were surprisingly rugged. they also had 645/6x6 and 6x7 along with a 645rf for more journalistic shots

I can understand why no working pro wanted to lug a mamiya 67 it's a bloody brute

Hoya effectively removed Pentax from the stores, now it is up to Ricoh to put them back. It is very early, but signs are positive. There is no indication that Ricoh picked up Pentax for any other reason than to be successful with Pentax (rather than gut it and absorb into Ricoh), and it is significant that Hoya still holds the medical imaging part of Pentax. It would appear that Ricoh is committed to making a go of it with Pentax cameras, and since they're good cameras after all, there is no particular reason to think they won't be able to re-establish some market share. They are never going to be Canon, or probably even Sony or Panasonic, all companies known for all kinds of electronics and therefore will always get their cameras in stores whether the stores want them or not just because they do want their TVs, printers, etc etc. Pentax is like Nikon and some of the German companies that are only known for cameras, so that's where they have to stand or fall, and it is going to keep them as a niche brand. But they don't have to be joke brand. (Leica is a niche brand.) I think they have to remain innovative and try to always have a feature or two that just isn't in other brands, or that costs a hell of a lot more in other brands. And maybe pick a target segment of professionals and go after that segment aggressively -- essentially bribe them with services and guarantees that will get them some converts. It all comes down to marketing one way or another -- maybe they should give away their cameras to famous rappers and they'll be the Crystal of Cameras. Some TV commercials probably wouldn't hurt, but they have to be in stores at the same time so people can actually buy the things.

Which brings up a side-topic -- on those rare occasions when you find someone else using Pentax, they usually know what they are doing because no one gets a Pentax by accident or on impulse.

I would note though that in North America ate least Bronica was very strong in the Wedding Field. they represented great value and were surprisingly rugged. they also had 645/6x6 and 6x7 along with a 645rf for more journalistic shots

By modern standards Bronica cameras are still worthy contenders for Hasselblad cameras, however there are only cumbersome solutions for attaching a MF digital back to the old bronica cameras. Hasselblad offer a surprising amount of integration even with their older cameras, which is why Bronica cameras have been sidelined.

Originally posted by eddie1960

I can understand why no working pro wanted to lug a mamiya 67 it's a bloody brute

I used a mamiya camera for a studio assignment once, I hated it. My lasting impression of the mamiya system is that is awkward to work with.I'm not talking about the cameras themselves it is that accessories have to be mounted in a certain order otherwise the whole camera would lock up.

Originally posted by vonBaloney

Which brings up a side-topic -- on those rare occasions when you find someone else using Pentax, they usually know what they are doing because no one gets a Pentax by accident or on impulse

I have noticed this as well, people use pentax cameras for a reasons that aren't based on cost alone. For me I just love the lenses, every 35mm camera body pentax made after the LX can fade away into oblivion for all I care. I would just love to see a Digital LX,MX or a K2 with a 24Mp full frame monochrome sensor with no AA filter. But I suppose the majority of Canonites,Nikonians and Leicaphiles would all completely flip out if such a thing ever happened.

By modern standards Bronica cameras are still worthy contenders for Hasselblad cameras, however there are only cumbersome solutions for attaching a MF digital back to the old bronica cameras. Hasselblad offer a surprising amount of integration even with their older cameras, which is why Bronica cameras have been sidelined.

I won't disagree, I have a Bronnie, it's a fine little camera. I looked at the digital options and they are more trouble than i can justify spending that money on (Synar makes back that has a compatible plate for one. Someone else also made a plate to take the V backs but they have it on clearance now

Originally posted by Digitalis

have noticed this as well, people use pentax cameras for a reasons that aren't based on cost alone. For me I just love the lenses, every 35mm camera body pentax made after the LX can fade away into oblivion for all I care. I would just love to see a Digital LX,MX or a K2 with a 24Mp full frame monochrome sensor with no AA filter. But I suppose the majority of Canonites,Nikonians and Leicaphiles would all completely flip out if such a thing ever happened.

Synar makes back that has a compatible plate for one. Someone else also made a plate to take the V backs but they have it on clearance now

The Sinar eyelike digital backs are a real pain to use IMO, If you thought the UI on metz flash units is bad, you should try one of these MFD backs. Leaf have put some excellent work into their UI with their 3" square hinged lcd touchscreen, phase one has some catching up to do, the 2.5" LCD's on their older MFD backs* are really difficult to see in daylight but I do like the amount of button customisation they offer.

*their newer IQ MFDB line from Phase one use rectangular 3.2" LCD touchscreens with a high pixel pitch of 290dpi, though they are still difficult to see outdoors.